Sunday Fishing Report

Captain Mike Carter and Ed Ricklefs, owner of Choo Choo Lures, made a practice run on Lake Guntersville Tuesday for the Rat-L-Trap tournament slated for Saturday, and probably could have won it all had that been tournament day.

"We stopped in three areas, and caught several 4 to 6 pound fish in each area," said Carter. "We were fishing hydrilla stubble in 6 to 8 feet, with the boat setting out off the ledge in 10 to 12 feet."

He said Ed mostly yo-yo-ed his lure, while Carter used a crank and twitch retrieve. Both were throwing ¾ ounce Rat-L-Traps.

"It's surprising how good the bite can be, even in this really cold weather," said Carter. "The water temperature was 43 degrees Tuesday. And I've even caught them this way when it's in the upper 30's with ice around the ramps."

He said the best bite is often at mid-day after the sun warms the water for a few hours, but some of their largest fish came early.

"The bite is best if they're pulling water, and that puts the fish out on the edge of the ledges," said Carter. "They're sluggish, but they will bite, right on through the winter."

Carter can be reached at www.anglingadventures.info.

Captain Mike Gerry said his anglers have been connecting by fishing SPRO McRip jerkbaits around bluff banks and on channel edges with moving water. He said 3/8 ounce Tightline jigs crawled on bottom are also doing some good, but the weather has been tough on fishermen; www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com.

Crappies and stripers continue to bite at Guntersville despite the cold for anglers who can stand the chill. Crappies are around causeway bridges as well as on bluff walls and around brush piles in the larger creeks. Best spots for stripers are below Nickajack and Guntersville dams, where a big swimbait or umbrella rig worked in current seams will turn up the bite once.

Mike Collins says crappie fishing is great at Weiss Lake. Fish are suspended at 8 to 10 feet over deeper channels and holes. Long line trolling with Jiffy Jigs works best, he says. Casting a float-and-fly in Little Spring Creek, Three-Mile Creek and the Chattooga River has also been effective; www.markcollinsguideservice.com.

The usually dependable bite below Wilson Dam on Lake Pickwick has slowed according to smallmouth guru Steve Hacker, who says he's waiting a few more weeks before heading back to the water. Stripers continue to bite in the cold outflow, but other species have been slow for the few anglers braving the cold out of McFarland Park. To check for updates, visit Hacker's website, www.smallmouth.com.